But there are several things to keep in mind when getting a chef knife with a wood handle.

A wood handle uses a varnish coating and if left in water it may wash off in time, the same can happen in a dishwasher. When that happens the wood handle becomes a breeding ground for germs and other nasty stuff.

If you do decide to get a chef knife with a wood handle, it is advised to re-varnish the handle at least once every year.

Chef Knife with a Plastic Handle:

Chef Knives with plastic handles are used mostly in fast food kitchens, or food factories.

And there are three main reasons for that:

The production is cheaper, and so is the knife.

The plastic handle prevents germs from forming.

The production is much cheaper.

There are a few draw backs though:

Due to the fact that the plastic handle is lighter the wood or wood composite, it is hard to make the chef knife well balanced.

Working with an unbalanced chef knife may be tiresome and even cause pains in the long run.

Another disadvantage is that the plastic handle will probably dry and break after a while.